Help.  I recently purchased a Kitchen Aid stand mixer.  It specifically states, on a sticker on the dough hook, that it should not be used above speed “2” on the machine.  But in the Bread Bible, many recipes, especially the baguette, call for using the dough hook on speed “4”.  I don’t want to break my beautiful new mixer.  Can I use it above speed number two?

Hi Christopher, see this thread from the blog:

http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/2005/11/appropriate_mixer_speeds_for_b.html

Matthew - You are so on the ball!

Christopher - Congrats on your new KA, you’ll love it!  As far as using your new mixer for other tasks, keep in mind the KA is very powerful.  Rose is great about specifying what speed to use for mixing cake batters and such, but if you are ever in question about a non-Rose recipe, and the recipe doesn’t specifically state mixing with a “Stand Mixer”, the unwritten rule of thumb is that you can safely assume that you should use a little slower mixing speed than you might use if you were mixing with a hand held mixer.  In other words, a hand mixer’s high is equivalent to the KA’s med. 

On a side note, I have no idea why KA says their mixers have 10 speeds.  My KA only has six (stir, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10).

Yes, I’ve revisited this blog topic and indeed the rule I follow is:  mixer strain sound means speed limit.

I was not aware of the Speed 2 limit on the KA stand mixers until recently when I did my 40 batch panettone at speeds up to 8!  I have the Professional 600 with the spiral dough hook, the issue with this model is not the motor (the motor has plenty power), the issues are the gears and gear cover that will wear off or crack.

In addition, the spiral dough hook causes an up/down motion, desirable for kneading dough (the closest a machine can imitate kneading by hand), but undesirable for the gear cover box which cracked up open at Speed 8!

Whenever a dough recipe calls for higher than Speed 2 on a stiff dough, or whenever I hear the mixer strain sound, I use the mixer only for the initial kneading, then stop and continue/help kneading by hand.  You will be surprised:  kneading by hand is not that difficult after the mixer has done the initial kneading.

Patricia, I think KA says they have 10 speeds is because you can set the lever between the “stir” and 2 which would mean it is speed 1. Am I making sense or am I confusing you more?

Rozanne - 05 December 2007 09:43 PM

Patricia, I think KA says they have 10 speeds is because you can set the lever between the “stir” and 2 which would mean it is speed 1. Am I making sense or am I confusing you more?

Oh yes, I know.  It’s just that the “clicks” only happen at the 2, 4, 6, etc., and I didn’t realize that for many years.

Hi,

I just had to have my KA Professional 6 taken to the repair man.  The part on this machine that is definitely the “weak link” is the sliding lever that changes the speeds.
It is hooked up to the circuit board with a plastic mounting piece.  The plastic piece shears where it is attached to the mixer.  The repair man gave me the broken part to see what happens and told me that when you change speeds do it very carefully one notch at a time.  That way you will not have to spend $133 to replace the cheap plastic and the cirucuit board.  Thougt I would pass this on.

Baba

You can google for the KA mixer diagrams, and do the repair yourself.  Many shops will sell parts or online.  The parts are very inexpensive.

However, KA will not recommend DYI due to liability.  Once I posted something about this on the KA blog, and the moderator erased my posting!

Please do at your own risk.

Followed Hector’s advice and found a site in the web where you can find the diagrams and replacement parts for different models of Kitchen Aid Mixers.
The site is http://www.mendingshed.com/kitaidparts.html
Hope it is helpful for all Kitchen Aid Owners . I own a Kitchen Aid KS5 since 1978. Has gone through all my daughters birthdays an she will be 30 next month, (the mixer and my daughter). Would like to know any experience you have had with the Viking Mixers. Iam planning to buy a new mixer to give a little break to my old KA and I’m just checking on other brands,although I am a Kitchen Aid fan.
Regards, Belmari

great, but please, please, please, don’t quote me on this, as I am not a certified KA technician, nor KA likes any user to open up their machines due to injury to yourself and your mixer.

take the diagram to a technician (if they don’t have it already), and have the technician do the repair for you which shouldn’t cost that much as you see the KA mixer is built with parts widely available and accessible!

Sorry I didn’t mean to quote you. Yes I think that the machines should be fixed by a technician just gave the address in order to get the parts somewhat cheaper. Sorry again.
Also I believe Kitchain Aid dealers sell the replacement and repair work not that expensive. My Kitchen Aid is almost 30 years old and has not been repaired. I think that denotes the quality of a KA. Regards, Belmari

Hi,

All I can say is: Thank you for that link!!!

I have already lost one KA mixer to a heavy dough - a few years ago, and have since replaced it with their top of the line 6 quart mixer.  I would die if anything ever happened to my current KA!  I searched everywhere on the Internet when my old mixer bit the dust, looking for anything - any resources - for repair.  I called KA and they were little or no help as my warranty had expired.

I have bookmarked the above link, and, thank you again for this resource!

BetseyD